Post by Lux on Jun 14, 2007 16:58:12 GMT 12
5:00 AM Thursday June 14, 2007
By Wayne Thompson
One of the world's largest mining companies has begun an airborne
survey of 1200sq km of mineral-rich ironsand deposits along the west
coast of the North Island.
The Rio Tinto company is managing the hunt for iron and other metals
in a joint-venture with Iron Ore New Zealand, which won the
prospecting permit from the Crown Minerals Group in the Ministry of
Energy.
As the survey aircraft yesterday flew low and slow over the permit
area - at Mokau, north Taranaki and the west coast of south Auckland -
iwi and environmental groups and the Auckland Regional Council
scrambled for more information about the venture.
Fears were expressed for the impact of any dredging on the maui's
dolphin, a species considered critically endangered, found only off
the west coast from Northland to New Plymouth.
Ngati Te Ata environment manager Karl Flavell said he had scant
information about the prospecting.
"We have not been consulted although we are the tribal authority for
the area from Manukau Heads to Maioro, the north side of Port Waikato
Heads."
ARC environment chairman Dianne Glenn said she raised three chief
concerns about the prospecting at this week's council meeting. "As a
result the ARC will write to the Government's conservation, economic
development and fisheries ministers.
"One of our concerns is that the maui's dolphin has a particularly
strong presence in the permit area - the Waikato River mouth to
Manukau Harbour.
"We are also concerned at extra erosion of the coast if there is
extraction of sand."
Mrs Glenn said another concern was any mining interference with the
build up of the Auckland construction industry's future sand supplies
in the Kaipara Harbour. A further concern was the effect of sand
extraction on Franklin's surf beaches - Sunset Beach, at Port Waikato
and Karioitahi.
Kiwis Against Sand Mining spokesman (Kasm) Bill McNatty said he felt
the Rio Tinto joint venture was more "ominous" than previous seabed
prospecting bids on the west coast because of the powerful company's
environmental record in its operations internationally.
Kasm raised 15,000 signatures for a petition calling for a blanket ban
on ironsand mining of the seabed. The petition was presented to
Parliament in February and is being considered by the Local Government
and Environment Committee.
Mr McNatty said Kasm had sought information from Rio Tinto and it
would make strong representations to Crown Minerals if the prospecting
advanced to the next stage - applying for an exploration permit.
ARC coastal project leader Andrew Benson said the site within the
Auckland Coastal Marine Area was about 480sq km, extending from the
northern side of the Waikato River mouth along the Awhitu Peninsula to
the South Head of Manukau Harbour.
The landward boundary of the prospecting area was the line of mean
high-water mark. The offshore boundary was a line more or less
parallel to the Awhitu Peninsula, 15km off shore.
Mr Benson said that the Auckland Regional Coastal Plan allowed
prospecting that involved the taking of a small quantity of material,
subject to conditions.
Coastal permits - a resource consent allowing prospecting activity -
had not been sought.
However, the company advised they might take physical samples early
next year and would then assess their need for coastal permits to
provide for prospecting.
A spokeswoman for Rio Tinto Iron ore, Joanna McKenzie, said last night
from Perth that the aircraft was conducting aeromagnetic surveys over
sites in the permit area.
The company owns Comalco, which has the aluminium smelter at Bluff, in
the South Island.
The survey conducted by Auckland-based Kiwi Air and Perth-based UTS
Geophysics will take a fortnight and the survey plane will fly at a
minimum of 20m above the sea and follows grid lines 200m apart
By Wayne Thompson
One of the world's largest mining companies has begun an airborne
survey of 1200sq km of mineral-rich ironsand deposits along the west
coast of the North Island.
The Rio Tinto company is managing the hunt for iron and other metals
in a joint-venture with Iron Ore New Zealand, which won the
prospecting permit from the Crown Minerals Group in the Ministry of
Energy.
As the survey aircraft yesterday flew low and slow over the permit
area - at Mokau, north Taranaki and the west coast of south Auckland -
iwi and environmental groups and the Auckland Regional Council
scrambled for more information about the venture.
Fears were expressed for the impact of any dredging on the maui's
dolphin, a species considered critically endangered, found only off
the west coast from Northland to New Plymouth.
Ngati Te Ata environment manager Karl Flavell said he had scant
information about the prospecting.
"We have not been consulted although we are the tribal authority for
the area from Manukau Heads to Maioro, the north side of Port Waikato
Heads."
ARC environment chairman Dianne Glenn said she raised three chief
concerns about the prospecting at this week's council meeting. "As a
result the ARC will write to the Government's conservation, economic
development and fisheries ministers.
"One of our concerns is that the maui's dolphin has a particularly
strong presence in the permit area - the Waikato River mouth to
Manukau Harbour.
"We are also concerned at extra erosion of the coast if there is
extraction of sand."
Mrs Glenn said another concern was any mining interference with the
build up of the Auckland construction industry's future sand supplies
in the Kaipara Harbour. A further concern was the effect of sand
extraction on Franklin's surf beaches - Sunset Beach, at Port Waikato
and Karioitahi.
Kiwis Against Sand Mining spokesman (Kasm) Bill McNatty said he felt
the Rio Tinto joint venture was more "ominous" than previous seabed
prospecting bids on the west coast because of the powerful company's
environmental record in its operations internationally.
Kasm raised 15,000 signatures for a petition calling for a blanket ban
on ironsand mining of the seabed. The petition was presented to
Parliament in February and is being considered by the Local Government
and Environment Committee.
Mr McNatty said Kasm had sought information from Rio Tinto and it
would make strong representations to Crown Minerals if the prospecting
advanced to the next stage - applying for an exploration permit.
ARC coastal project leader Andrew Benson said the site within the
Auckland Coastal Marine Area was about 480sq km, extending from the
northern side of the Waikato River mouth along the Awhitu Peninsula to
the South Head of Manukau Harbour.
The landward boundary of the prospecting area was the line of mean
high-water mark. The offshore boundary was a line more or less
parallel to the Awhitu Peninsula, 15km off shore.
Mr Benson said that the Auckland Regional Coastal Plan allowed
prospecting that involved the taking of a small quantity of material,
subject to conditions.
Coastal permits - a resource consent allowing prospecting activity -
had not been sought.
However, the company advised they might take physical samples early
next year and would then assess their need for coastal permits to
provide for prospecting.
A spokeswoman for Rio Tinto Iron ore, Joanna McKenzie, said last night
from Perth that the aircraft was conducting aeromagnetic surveys over
sites in the permit area.
The company owns Comalco, which has the aluminium smelter at Bluff, in
the South Island.
The survey conducted by Auckland-based Kiwi Air and Perth-based UTS
Geophysics will take a fortnight and the survey plane will fly at a
minimum of 20m above the sea and follows grid lines 200m apart